Straight-shooting Casey team score breakthrough Group 1 win
Daly homebred takes out time-honoured Northerly Stakes
Winning owner-breeder Waly Daly’s immediate thought after Dom To Shoot (Shooting To Win) came out on top in a thrilling three-way finish to yesterday’s Northerly Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) at Ascot was of his late brother, trainer George.
In an emotion-charged finish to the final Group 1 for the calendar year in Australia, Dom To Shoot prevailed over the well-travelled interstate raider Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) and WA Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) winner Zipaway (Playing God).
While it was prominent Western Australian owner Daly’s second Northerly Stakes – he won it in 1981 with Little Imagele (Imagele) who was trained by his brother – it was the first Group 1 win for Dom To Shoot’s father-and-son trainers Sean and Jake Casey.
The six-year-old gelding, who was ridden by heavyweight jockey Jarrad Noske, had finished third behind Bustler (Playing God) and Alsephina (Star Turn) in the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) a fortnight earlier.
Bustler ran fourth yesterday while Alsephina finished sixth, the pair split by three-year-old A Lot Of Good Men (A Lot).
Sean Casey had tears welling in his eyes after the race as the achievement of a maiden Group 1 win began to sink in, praising Noske for his winning ride.
“To be quite honest, I didn’t think it’d ever happen,” Casey said.
“I’ve got my idols as trainers and jockeys and all the rest of it, so today was quite fitting. We’re quite close to all the families involved right back through the years.
“So, it’s a big thrill. I can’t believe it.”
Noske was able to navigate Dom To Shoot into the clear from barrier one and reel in Zaaki as Zipaway also made a late dive for victory, but crossing the line the rider, who was onboard Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) when she won her first two starts in 2009, was unsure if he’d saluted for his first Group 1 win as a jockey.
It was just reward for his decision to return to the riding ranks early this year after spending time out of the saddle by breaking in horses and also taking out a trainer’s licence.
“When the barriers came out, I didn’t think it was the best barrier for him, but he got a dream run from there and I was quite happy when the horses in front of me were Bustler, [Zipaway] and Zaaki and we got out when we needed to,” Noske said.
“I wasn’t sure of the photo. Me beating J Mac in a photo, no hope surely, but we got the bob.”
Zaaki’s jockey James McDonald, who flew in from Hong Kong for the ride, said of the runner-up: “He’s gone really well. The race worked out really well for us and he gave a nice kick. Just nabbed on the line unfortunately.”
Dom To Shoot’s owner Daly bred and raced top-class sprinter Vega Magic (Lope De Vega), who won twice at Group 1 level, but he is also a noted buyer of weanlings and yearlings at a range of sales across Australia.
He credited a pair of respected bloodstock industry figures for assisting in his success in the thoroughbred industry, which he described as “expensive”, but adding that he chooses to foot 100 per cent of the bill “because you can make decisions that other people can’t be involved in”.
“I have got to thank Jonathan D’Arcy from Inglis, he has always been a consultant of mine and he’s always tipped me the right horses to have a look at and then there’s Adrian Hancock [at Magic Millions] who has assisted me greatly,” Daly told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“George was a great believer in Tesio [pedigree theories] and I have just followed it. I have picked up a bit from George about that, but conformation is probably a weakness of mine, so I seek second opinions on conformation.
“Susannah Hawke has always done our vet work for us, so it’s a combination of a lot of people having a little bit to put in.”
Dom To Shoot is out of the placed Pins (Snippets) mare Princess Rouge, who herself is a sister to the ten-time winner and the Bunbury Stakes (Listed, 1400m) scorer Pin Rouge who was trained by Sean Casey for Daly after beginning her career in the stable of her owner’s brother.
Princess Rouge is also the dam of Perth city winner Cavallo Red (So You Think).
Dom To Shoot has an unraced three-year-old half-sister Princess In Red (Capitalist) who is in training with the Caseys while Princess Rouge has a Playing God (Blackfriars) colt at foot.
The gelding has now earned $1.925 million in prize-money from his 40 starts, $830,000 which came yesterday. Daly did not top up the account despite him starting at the juicy odds of $21.
“It’s a hobby and it’s a business, so you get a good feeling when things go right, but you have your bad days, too,” Daly said.
“To be an owner of horses and to breed them, it’s silly to punt because if you do a huge amount of money on horses by betting on them, you’d go home after a meeting and say, ‘sell the bloody lot’ which influences your decisions.
“I might have $50 each-way Maureen, but punting on horses for an owner, in my opinion, is no good.”
Named after Australian Rules footballer Dom Sheed, the West Coast Eagles’s 2018 Grand Final hero, Dom To Shoot is the second Group 1 winner for Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor), a brother to fellow sire Deep Field, who relocated to Western Australia’s Oakland Park Stud in 2022.
Shooting To Win is also the sire of New Zealand Group 1 winner Mascarpone and 12 other stakes winners.
Maher and Eustace bag another Inglis Nursery
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace continued their domination of the Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) when Odinson (Night Of Thunder) showed his class to win yesterday’s Randwick race and in doing so became the powerful stable’s third winner of the contest in the space of four years.
The son of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) was having his first run in Sydney having made his debut with a third in the Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) at Flemington last month. He had no problems adapting to the opposite direction, showing a potent turn of foot from a wide run, to beat Beer Baron (Cosmic Force) by a neck, with Nymphadora (Yes Yes Yes) a further length further back in third.
“He jumped better today but he had to take his medicine and just get a bit of cover from there,” said Maher and Eustace’s assistant trainer, Johann Gerard-Dubord.
“He didn’t take the turn that well but he was very good late. It’s a big change for him, the horse is still fairly immature mentally and he must have a bit of ability.”
Odinson jumped from the outside barrier in the 13-runner field and was forced to track wide from the draw.
However, winning jockey Tyler Schiller said that it might not have been a major negative, given the juvenile’s racing style.
“I don’t know if it was as much of a hindrance as it looked,” Schiller said. “He got to sit wide, and I know it’s not great being wide, but a straight run to the first turn, a quality horse, he just needed a bit of room.
“He had me a little bit worried at the 300 [metres] when Beer Baron put that two-lengths on me, but he really knuckled in and I’m really happy with the way the colt has responded under pressure.
“He’s in for a pretty bright future.
“I don’t think it’s the toughest Inglis race but going forward, he is going to draw better barriers and have better runs than this and be able to finish off as good.”
The colt is now likely to head to the Inglis Millennium (RL, 1200m) in February, with the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) the following month also mentioned among future targets.
Odinson continued the stable’s outstanding recent record in the $500,000 event, which they also won with Acrobat (Fastnet Rock) in 2020 and El Padrino (Street Boss) two years ago.
Bred by David Redvers’ Qatar Bloodstock, Odinson is raced by a large syndicate of owners including John O’Neill and Ozzie Kheir, whose colours he races in.
While Kheir and O’Neill watched on from afar yesterday, fellow part-owner Barry O’Brien was trackside and was thrilled with the result.
“He’s a very good colt, we knew before his debut he was good and he ran a huge race and to come out today and do what he did, to get back and have to come seven and eight wide and still win, it’s very hard to do,’’ O’Brien said.
“We targeted this race because the money involved in the Inglis Race Series is just too good to refuse.
“And as a result of that, we’ll give the horse a freshen up now and come back here and target the $2 million Inglis Millennium in February on our way to the Slipper.’’
Widden’s Antony Thompson added: “He ran huge on debut and it was great to see him come out and do what he did today.
“David Redvers bred the colt and it’s a big result for Qatar as well, let’s hope he can go on and win plenty more of the big two-year-old races and beyond.
“It’s been a great Spring for Widden, with Griff winning the Caulfield Guineas out of our first ever Widden Victoria draft at Melbourne Premier and we’ve got some beautiful horses to offer through Inglis again in 2024 starting with Classic which is full of quality and has something for everybody.’’
Odinson (2 c ex Good Vibes by Due Diligence) was bought by his trainers for $320,000 from the Widden Stud draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale earlier this year. The colt is out of British Group 3 winner Good Vibes (Due Diligence), who was bought by David Redvers for 390,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2019.
Good Vibes herself is out of winning mare Satsuma (Compton Place), making her a half-sister to Japanese Listed scorer Yakushima (Havana Grey).
In 2022, Good Vibes produced a colt by Zoustar (Northern Meteor), before foaling another colt by the Widden Stud-based sire this year and she was covered by Coolmore Stud shuttler St Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni) in September.
In yesterday’s contest, Odinson became the 43rd individual stakes winner – and 12th in Australia – for Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), who shuttled to Australia for one season in 2016. The stallion is due to stand the upcoming breeding season in the northern hemisphere for a fee of €100,000 (approx. AU$163,600).
Calaway Gal success runs in the family for Barbie’s Sister
Barbie’s Sister continued her family’s two-year-old precocity to take out the Calaway Gal Stakes (Listed, 1000m) for Tony Gollan six years after sibling Outback Barbie won the Queensland juvenile feature race.
Their sire, Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo), has now provided the Calaway Gal winner three times with Malaboom taking out last year’s edition to join Barbie’s Sister and Outback Barbie, the latter running third behind Sunlight (Zoustar) in the 2018 Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m).
A $300,000 Magic Millions purchase by Harvey Black, Barbie’s Sister (2 f ex Pure Purrfection, by General Nediym) blitzed her rivals in a Deagon barrier trial in October but she had her colours lowered by Poster Girl (Alabama Express) at the Sunshine Coast on November 18 at her first start.
However, she showed the benefit of experience yesterday, scoring by one-and-a-half lengths over El Morzillo (Star Witness) while Satin Stiletto (Written Tycoon) – a half-sister to the recently Widden Stud-acquired Group 1-placed stallion prospect I Am Unstoppable (I Am Invincible) – added to her value by running third.
Gollan won this year’s running of the sales-restricted Gold Coast race with Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready) and it’s also the goal for Barbie’s Sister, despite the trainer harbouring doubts about the filly’s ability to see out a strong 1200 metres.
“They’re always better for a run, I was just a little bit worried about how much that run would take out of her at the Sunny Coast, especially the two days straight after she knew she’d had a race,” Gollan said.
“The last fortnight has just been perfect, the last ten days is the best she has done in the feed bin and around the yard the whole time we’ve had her in the prep.”
The champion Brisbane trainer added: “At this point in time I’m still a touch nervous for 1200 [metres] so that will probably see us out to that trip at some stage prior to Magic Millions.
“I will just let the dust settle on this, I know she’s got a lot of improvement in her.
“She’s a real racehorse, she has run an incredible time for two-year-olds here today [57.66 seconds] so she has done super.”
Comparing Barbie’s Sister and Outback Barbie, who has a filly and a colt by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and was covered by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) this year, Gollan said: “She [Outback Barbie] was the same, she just progressed that Magic Millions summer, she just kept getting better and better, week on week, towards the big race.
“This filly gives me that same sort of feel so hopefully it’s all roads onwards and upwards now towards the Magic Millions.”
Pure Purrfection has a brother at foot to Barbie’s Sister and Outback Barbie and she was covered by Darley’s Australian Horse of the Year Anamoe (Street Boss) in his first season at stud.
Meanwhile, the father-and-daughter training team of Tony and Maddy Sears’ raid on this year’s New Zealand Karaka Yearling Sale has reaped immediate rewards with Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice) colt Beau Dazzler taking out the Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1100m) in Brisbane.
The Toowoomba-based Sears’ combined with agents Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman, who also selected stable star Yellow Brick (The Mission) at a Magic Millions sale, to buy six horses at Karaka with Beau Dazzler the first to make it to the races.
From the second crop of Waikato Stud-based sire Ardrossan, Beau Dazzler made up for an unlucky second at Toowoomba on November 25 by knuckling down late to win the Phelan Ready by a half-length over Mishani Explorer (Top Echelon) and Butwedid (Performer).
Early short-priced favourite Spywire (Trapeze Artist), who won at Rosehill in mid-November, was scratched from the $200,000 race earlier in the week.
Maddy Sears said the stable had no early expectations that Beau Dazzler would be mature enough to get to the races at this stage of the season and the youngster still has plenty to learn.
“I don’t think you’ll find a horse that will try to get himself beat as much as he did then,” she said.
“He’s very green. We never expected him to race this early to be honest. He’s surprised us but I think he’s got a bright future when he starts thinking about being a racehorse.”
Bred by the Dewar Partnership, Beau Dazzler (2 c ex Pwerfect, by Pentire) was a NZ$85,000 purchase from the Book 2 session from the Mapperley Stud draft and Landsdowne Park will offer the brother to the Phelan Ready Stakes winner in the second session of next year’s Karaka sale.
Collecting $120,150 in prize-money in his two starts to date, Beau Dazzler heads the ballot order for next month’s Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m), the NZB race which returns to Ellerslie in 2024.